The Catacombs of St Basil

[Ebiris]

Where resting PCs lie until Ragnarok

Charismatic Hero 2/ Fast Hero 7 (Criminal - hide/move silently skills and brawl feat)

Nadia Chekova

STR 14, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 14, WIS 10, CHA 18

HP: 62
Defence: 21 (+1 vs melee)
Attack: Martial Arts: +12/+7 (1d8+2)
Reputation: 5
Wealth: 27
Bab: +6
Initiative: +7
Speed: 35
Action Points: 33

Fort: +6
Ref: +9
Will: +2

Talents: Evasion, Increased Speed, Fast Talk, Uncanny Dodge 1, Opportunist
Feats: Simple Weapon Proficiency, Brawl, Defensive Martial Arts, Deceptive, Improved Initiative, Elusive Target, Combat Martial Arts, Improved Brawl, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse (Martial Arts), Knockout Punch
Skills: Bluff (12) +18, Climb (12) +14, Disable Device (12) +14, Disguise (12) +18, Gather Information (12) +16, Hide (12) +18, Knowledge:Arts (6) +8, Move Silently (12) +18, Sleight of Hand (12) +15, Tumble (10) +13, Know Language (English, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian)
Languages: French (native), German, Russian, English, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian
Inventory: Lockpick Set, Disguise Kit, Penlight, Casual Clothes, Formal Clothes, Telecom Orb, Phaseshifter, Torque Ring, Catherine's Aurora, Designer Handbag, Small Luggage Case


Torque Ring: Functionally similar to the ring from Petra in that it grants a +1 deflection bonus to defense, though this version appears to have been upgraded slightly: whenever the wearer is subject to the arcane spell Shield, any magic missiles nullified by the spell will instead be redirected back at the caster (spell resistance applies if the original caster has it). The wearer can also pass at will through walls of force at any time, though this functions only while the ring is worn and only for the wearer.

Phaseshifter (worn): 1/day--Activating this device (as a free action) sets the wearer's body in tune with a slightly different dimension, allowing them to move faster and with more force while less constrained by the physical laws of our reality. The wearer's strength and dexterity are boosted by 2, and movement speed by 5 feet, for the duration of one minute. The user is immediately fatigued once this boost wears off, however; it cannot be activated by a character who is already fatigued, and if some outside source inflicts fatigue on the character while the boost is in place then the benefits are immediately lost. The device has obviously seen extensive use and was likely designed to be more effective than it now is. There is a 1% chance of it simply not working, though it can freely be attempted again the next round.


Nineteen year old Nadia was born in Monaco to her mother, Natalya, who had fled Russia during the chaos of the October revolution. Her childhood was a difficult one, her mother often depressed and distant, and with no visible means of supporting herself and her daughter, although she was often seen in the presence of different well-dressed men, which led Nadia to draw her own conclusions.

While the principality was a playground for the rich and well to do, it offered little for a young girl, and so Nadia was forced to grow up early to find her place in life. She soon found amusement in taking advantage of the gamblers and socialites who frequented Monte Carlo - though her mother was able to see to Nadia's material needs and it was hardly necessary, she would frequently pilfer jewellery and cash, starting with lifting unattended items and honing her skills to lift them from distracted purses or liberate from locked hotel rooms.

As she honed her thieving skills, she took note of a troupe of Chinese acrobats performing at one of the casinos, and made it a point to befriend them, captivated by their acrobatic prowess. It wasn't terribly hard for her to win their confidence, helped in no small part by her quick study of their own language, and Nadia was able to cajole them into sharing their secrets, even letting her participate in rehersals with them. This physical training bolstered her abilities considerably, letting her set her sights towards even grander acts of larceny as she challenged herself by targetting famous display pieces that occassionally made their way to Monaco for grandstanding exhibitions.

Her mother, however, was not entirely ignorant of Nadia's proclivities. And one night when returning home from a heist with sapphire tiara in hand, she was challenged by Natalya, who rather than being angry, actually laughed and explained that said headpiece had once belonged to her. Explaining further, she revealed to her daughter that she had financed their early years together in Monaco by discreetly selling off various items she had liberated from 'The Motherland' as she fled the Revolution. But one thing she had never sold, she showed Nadia that night; Catherine's Aurora, a stunning diamond necklace that had once belonged to Catherine the Great. This, she explained, was to be her legacy, the last thing they have left of all that the Bolsheviks stole from Russia.

That very same night, however, tragedy struck when their apartment was suddenly broken into by a gang of armed men. They cared nothing for Nadia's ill-gotten gains, for they knew Natalya possessed the Aurora. As the two were held at gunpoint by the gun-totting thugs, a man speaking French with a slight English accent insisted that Natalya hand it over, that it was wasted on her. When she refused, she was shot and the necklace taken anyway, with Nadia only able to look on helplessly. With eyes only for the Aurora, the man took it and left without a backwards glance, leaving Nadia to the tender mercies of his thugs. She was barely able to flee by diving out of the window, escaping with her life and forced to leave behind everything, for when she returned hours later the apartment had been stripped bare, the police closing the case with little more than a cursory investigation which failed to find any culprits.

But Nadia had luck of her own, catching sight of one of the thugs gambling foolishly in one of the casinos a few nights later. No longer dishevelled and in her nightclothes, the man didn't even recognise her when she sidled up to him at the roulette wheel and started working her charms. A few hours later, the man was unconscious and penniless, and Nadia had a name and a location. Using the thug's own money, she bought a plane ticket and what little supplies she could gather, intent on finding this Elgin and recovering what's rightfully hers.